Zach Root

School: Arkansas Drafted/Committed: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.4

BA Grade: 50/High

Root pitched as a reliable starter for two seasons for East Carolina in 2023 and 2024 before transferring to Arkansas for his 2025 junior year. The jump from American Athletic to Southeastern Conference competition didn’t phase him. Root was a consistent starter all year for one of the best pitching staffs in the country and posted a 3.62 ERA over 19 starts and 99.1 innings with a career-high 30% strikeout rate and an 8.3% walk rate. At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Root has a filled-out physique and a funky delivery that features a steep tilt in his leg lift and a three-quarters arm slot. He has a deep arsenal and impressive feel to land his secondaries. He added a tick of velocity to his fastball in 2025 and sits around 93 mph but will touch 98. The fastball has never been a consistent swing-and-miss pitch for Root. Instead he goes to curveball, changeup and slider to miss barrels. Root’s 78-82 mph curveball has solid depth and 1-to-7 shape that he uses at a high clip versus lefthanded and righthanded hitters alike. He favors his mid-80s changeup as a third piece against righthanded hitters and a harder, mid-80s slider that has a cutter look in the upper 80s against lefties. Each of his secondaries are at least average, and Root ties together the entire mix with above-average control. Root is a high-probability starter with back-of-the-rotation upside and fits solidly inside the first two rounds.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55.